MSU playing this weekend to secure Michigan spot in the B1G Championship Game
Mentioned earlier in an update on B1G standings, but deserves a little more of a spotlight/discussion I think.
Assuming the Wolverines dispatch Rutgers and Indiana (In Brown Winovich We Trust), there is the delightful possibility that this weekend in East Landfill:
(1) OSU loses again and we all enjoy the ensuing meltdown in Columbus
and
(2) Sparty gets to enjoy handing us our ticket to the B1G Championship Game. Even when they win, they lose. Perhaps they can lock arms and walk across the field in the Big House to hand us the ticket.
I've seen comments about wanting OSU to win out to enhance the quality of our (inevitable) win over the Bucknuts. I can't see where that is at all necessary if we run the table and win the B1G. 12-1 definitely gets us into the playoff.
I also think that if OSU is NOT playing for a spot in the B1G CG, they will Bosa the remainder of the season and players will focus on not playing school and Urbz will realize he really needs to spend more time with the family.
November 5th, 2018 at 8:08 AM ^
I think we should all be more Humble than this.
November 5th, 2018 at 8:12 AM ^
Agree, but it's going to get brought up anyway as anyone can see the standings and figure out the implications.
Main thing is to remember Iowa '16 and take it one game at a time.
November 5th, 2018 at 8:21 AM ^
Luckily our trap games this year are...at one of the worst 10 teams in America and Indiana at home.
November 5th, 2018 at 8:31 AM ^
Rutger is flattered. Bottom 3?
November 5th, 2018 at 8:44 AM ^
To be fair, Rutgers actually has improved a lot as the season has progressed.
They are no longer a bottom 10 team.
Now a bottom 20 team!
November 5th, 2018 at 9:35 AM ^
Bottom 5 in S&P+.
November 5th, 2018 at 3:06 PM ^
Yeah, I know.
Half joking.
But for the half not joking part...I wonder what their S&P+ raking would be based just on the last 4 games? Probably terrible but still better than bottom 5.
November 5th, 2018 at 9:53 AM ^
So true. Slightly off topic, but I think as a whole (with Wisconsin being our "locked" B10W opponent) the years with MSU/OSU on the road might actually be easier schedules. Those years coincide with having only 4 B1G road games. The years we have OSU/MSU at home we have 5 B1G road games - including a fixture of @PSU (and @Wisconsin for now). OSU/MSU is never going to be a trap game for Michigan, but 5 B1G road games is a lot of opportunities for letdowns. What really tipped the schedule this year was ND away in game 1, but nothing can be done about that now.
November 5th, 2018 at 8:40 AM ^
We as fans can do whatever we want. We're not the players. I am 1000% confident that Harbaugh has the team in the perfect place mentally and that no one is overlooking these next two games.
November 5th, 2018 at 8:45 AM ^
Yeah, if fans' behavior affects the game so much, why isn't everyone out in their yard practicing ball security or something?
November 5th, 2018 at 8:55 AM ^
Hey, when you have dead presidents coming back to make posts about things on sports blogs, it's probably something important. Good to hear from you again, Gerald!
November 5th, 2018 at 10:16 AM ^
Good to be back. When did they add those bars across the front of the helmets? My face would have appreciated the protection.
November 5th, 2018 at 9:02 AM ^
I do not practice THAT in the frickin' yard!
November 5th, 2018 at 10:25 AM ^
I've been practicing punting the ball straight up and then returning it. Do your part and memorize your coverages and route tree. Sheesh.
November 5th, 2018 at 10:32 AM ^
You mean I don't need to do that? Well that will free up some time.
November 5th, 2018 at 11:02 AM ^
throw some picks!
November 5th, 2018 at 8:54 AM ^
I hate when people use this excuse. I hate it because these are the type of fans who prognosticate the entire season based on one game and give up all hope, trash the team, call for firings, when you lose a game at the beginning of the year like we did to ND.
Enjoy the season, one game at a time. Instead of looking toward OSU and beyond, lets enjoy the game we currently have against Rutgers.
November 5th, 2018 at 9:04 AM ^
No offense, but this is some sillypants stuff here, Boss. As if looking ahead to upcoming games is somehow offensive. As if we don't have a delightful weekly column that does just that.
As if speculating about matchups and the future isn't what fandom is all about.
November 5th, 2018 at 9:13 AM ^
Punt/Count Punt looks ahead to the next game. Should we cancel that, too?
I like the OP's points purely on the bases that OSU an MSU fans lurking here will get their silly pants in a bind.
November 5th, 2018 at 9:57 AM ^
Exactly right. We are fans --- meaningless, irrelevant fans. We can do or say whatever we want to, without concern that we will influence the team's destiny. I can game-plan today for Alabama or Clemson (or even for a rematch with that Catholic college in Indiana) in the BCS playoffs, and the cosmos, the fates, even the actual outcome of each remaining game, will remain wholly unaffected. Go Blue.
November 5th, 2018 at 9:36 AM ^
I fail to see how what I said was an "excuse." Also, who said I'm not enjoying the season? I was at the game on Saturday and I enjoyed the hell out of myself during all parts of that beatdown and loved every second of the players rubbing it in Franklin's dumb face. But hey, thanks for the free life advice!
(And for the record I generally do not like looking ahead to games but I think it's beyond silly for people to admonish those who do.)
November 5th, 2018 at 11:11 AM ^
User name checks out.
You'd really like it if everyone looked ahead to OSU and overlooked say Indiana...
November 5th, 2018 at 11:27 AM ^
More a suggestion for our own mental health. There have been so many let downs that I know for me personally it's easier to think about the next game and what is guaranteed to happen than get too far in the future as so much has yet to be decided.
But that's just me, do whatever you like, for me it's more about not trying to get out over my skis.
November 5th, 2018 at 9:33 AM ^
I don't think the 2016 team overlooked Iowa. Iowa loaded up against the run, our OLine had a below average game (compared to their performance throughout the year), and Speight missed wide open guys by yards for the last 3 quarters.
November 5th, 2018 at 8:19 AM ^
Agree 100%. Let's act like we've been here before. Btw anything can happen on any given Saturday in college football..
November 5th, 2018 at 8:22 AM ^
For the MGoReaders under 20, they haven’t been there before - or at least don’t remember.
for those of us with some grey hairs, we can act that way.
November 5th, 2018 at 9:09 AM ^
Agree, it feels good to be a kid again
November 5th, 2018 at 12:53 PM ^
I have grey hairs at 26. What do I do? Hate myself?
November 5th, 2018 at 8:40 AM ^
I would except we havent been here before. Never got to see Michigan play in the Big Ten championship game.
November 5th, 2018 at 10:07 AM ^
Back in the day we didn't need no stinkin' Big Ten championship game in order to win Big Ten championships.
In other words, putting an artificial money-grubbing construct in the way of something we used to see routinely doesn't mean we have to act like this is a historical first.
November 5th, 2018 at 8:46 AM ^
Yes, nothing is inevitable, especially when it comes to college football. One or two crazy plays (as we well know) can determine the outcome. That said, go blue!
November 5th, 2018 at 10:03 AM ^
... and offscreen, Don Brown is pointing the Hadron Enforcer at Columbus ...
November 5th, 2018 at 10:09 AM ^
Awesome GIF. Bring it down hard!
November 5th, 2018 at 10:32 AM ^
I think we Should stop captItalizing Random LetTers in pOsts.
November 5th, 2018 at 11:48 AM ^
This site uses the word "we" to an arrogant level.
November 5th, 2018 at 8:11 AM ^
I might be in the minority, but I'd prefer to play/beat tOSU with the stakes as large as possible. That's what the Game is all about.
November 5th, 2018 at 8:14 AM ^
And with OU nippin at our heels for that 4th playoff spot a win over a top 10 , 1 loss OSU would help get us in rather than a 2 loss top 20 OSU team imho
November 5th, 2018 at 8:19 AM ^
2004, Man. We're in no position to get picky about how we might get this monkey off our back.
November 5th, 2018 at 8:24 AM ^
Truth.
The other thing that concerns me is that if OSU gets to The Game with a chance to win the division, that they will get some "help" from the refs again ala 2016 and it would actually cost UM a chance at a long elusive Big Ten title (just like 2016).
#yepstillpissedabout2016
November 5th, 2018 at 8:42 AM ^
Yep. It's a rivalry game so all I am worried about is turnovers, big plays, BPONE. I do trust our defense and JH to already be game planning here. tOSU has the more talented athletes, but we appear to have a mental toughness unseen since the 90s.
What would cause me fury would be cheap, shitty ref calls that destroy drives. Mentally, I will never move on from 2016, rather I concluded that we lost because we did not put the game away and the refs and that stupid team just hung around long enough. 2018 team just does not appear to let that happen and even if they get down they just seem like their fight is *never* over for them.
Urbz has lost rivalry games (something the TV commentators got wrong in 2012 and I clung to since). That gives me hope as well as the confidence of the team right now.
So, in conclusion, may that team rot an unending, painful loss at our hands regardless of record on Nov. 24.
November 5th, 2018 at 9:04 AM ^
I'm not buying the more talented athletes narrative anymore.
Our defense is stacked with All American players that will play in the NFL...these are not Don Brown's Boston College teams. His scheme is amazing, but Winovich, Gary, Bush, Solomon, Long, Hill, and Hudson are all straight up elite, and Uche, Paye, Dwumfour, Watson, Metullus and Gil are not far behind.
On offense...Does OSU have a better trio of receivers than DPJ, Black and Collins? Do they have our depth at tight end?
Dobbins and Weber is probably a better combo than Higdon and Evans, but not by much.
And with our O-line playing at this level and Patterson managing the games, I'm just not buying the talent argument here.
Bama, Clemson...yes...I think they are more talented than us across the board. OSU...simply looks like the recruits had a few more starz in aggregate, but our guys have developed into dudes.
November 5th, 2018 at 9:51 AM ^
Whatever. Michigan is just better than Ohio State, period. For the first time, maybe since we last beat those guys in Columbus, we are flat out better than them, with a more complete team. Don't care about their athletes if they can't execute outside the passing game. And that is the case. Michigan is just better. And we will prove it.
November 5th, 2018 at 8:52 AM ^
I agree with this...would rather have OSU out of it so the conference can get behind us 100% - including leaning on refs for us.
November 5th, 2018 at 11:28 AM ^
Exactly. We got fucked over without a doubt in '16. If there's no opportunity for such a fucking it will be that much better.
I'm with you, still pissed about '16
November 5th, 2018 at 10:13 AM ^
This is the correct answer. Anything that increases our chances of getting a Big Ten championship at this point should be desired by all.
November 5th, 2018 at 9:12 AM ^
I'd rather we win, and tOSU seems like the type of team that could proverbially "tank it" if they are eliminated from b1g/playoff contention this weekend
November 5th, 2018 at 9:13 AM ^
The Game is best when it is a “winner takes all” event.
November 5th, 2018 at 11:00 AM ^
I am rooting for Sparty. I want the guarantee of making it to Indy. The team is not going to play less hard because they've already locked a spot to Indy. They know the playoffs are at stake still.
November 5th, 2018 at 9:19 AM ^
Such a dilemma. Maybe a giant sinkhole will swallow up the entire stadium.
November 6th, 2018 at 5:32 AM ^
I used to feel the same. In the past I wanted every season to be a #1 vs #2 battle of unbeatens. But wandering the wasteland the last 10+ years, alone, with everyone else in the conference dancing on the proverbial grave the entire time has changed my perspective. Now I believe in one thing only with everyone else;
Fuck 'em.
I want Ohio State to suffer through 10 years of suck. Losing to us every season, and struggling to beat even the lowliest of teams on their schedule.